It has long been recognized and understood that specific wavelengths of ultraviolet radiation have the ability to destroy certain biological and chemical structures. While the sun and most active celestial bodies normally emit all types of UV radiation, portions of the earth's atmosphere prevent its destructive form of energy from reaching the surface.
During the last century, scientists and medical practitioners experimented with the use of UV radiation in the treatment of diseases. One such experiment in the late 1930's involved the development of a rudimentary device designed to expose human blood to a UV lamp, in an effort to kill virus and bacteria. This particular device, while medically successful with respect to the patients being treated, was an electrical and mechanical failure due to several factors. First and foremost, the UV lamp was difficult to operate; just to get the lamp to strike was a major handling problem. There were numerous interactive controls that required constant re-adjustment to keep the device operating properly. In addition, the lamp had only a short lifespan before it either failed to strike, or produce the necessary therapeutic wavelength of UV. There was also an ongoing general maintenance issue with a water cooling process and a belt drive sequence of included mechanics. In addition, the control of the flow rate of the blood through the system also required constant adjustment and monitoring by a trained operator. Because of the design of the device, blood collection was also difficult. Specifically, gravity was used to draw and collect the blood into an open beaker. The beaker was than moved to a position above the device and allowed to drain through the pump and exposure chamber.
Although positive therapeutic treatments resulted when all system components were operating properly, such conditions did not occur often. Moreover, if a mechanical, electrical or lamp problem developed during the course of a clinical procedure, the system provided no visual or audible indications to notify the operator or an automatic fail-safe termination of operation.